Collections and compilations are a funny business. Most of the time they are purely a cash cow with the same content you already know; repackaged, reissued, and released only to liberate the contents of your wallet under the guise of being ânewâ. You could argue that âOn Earth As It Is â The Complete Worksâ is much of the same, and you would be forgiven for thinking so, yet this isnât just a compilation of few tracks from Mother Love Bone, thatâs been done; this is everything.
Between 1988 and 1990, before Stone Goddard and Jeff Ament were selling out arenas with Pearl Jam, there was Mother Love Bone. While the burgeoning grunge scene of Washington was on a mission to kill hair metal and pompous rock music, some of that sound filtered into Mother Love Bone. They bridged the gap between the two. Sadly, their career was all too short due to the untimely passing of vocalist Andrew Wood, just before release of their debut album, âAppleâ.
Then how, we hear you cry, do you put together a complete collection from a band that only released one EP and one LP in their two year existence? Simple: include everything the band recorded to create a document of one of the most under appreciated bands of their time. âOn Earth As It Isâ is 40 songs deep, starting with the âShineâ EP, straight into the aforementioned âAppleâ, then 23 outtakes, unreleased demos, b-sides, and live recordings.
Those familiar with Mother Love Bone will know much of the material from their catalogue. Even now, the alternative metal stomp of âStardog Championâ feels ahead of its time, âCapricorn Sisterâ still has the same swagger you remember, and you can hear the countless bands that were inspired by power ballad meets rock ânâ roll decadence of âChloe Dancer/Crown Of Thornsâ.
When you start to drink in the lesser-known tracks on the latter half of âOn Earth As It Isâ, you can see why they didnât make the cut on âShineâ or âAppleâ. While they are far from bad, because Mother Love Bone didnât really make band music, itâs more that they are weaker than what you expect from them. âLady Godiva Bluesâ is nothing more than an OK track, and âLubricated Muscle Driveâ crosses the line into a clichĂ© 80s rock mess.
There is a lot to get your teeth into with âOn Earth As It Isâ, but it serves its purpose well. Unless you are a diehard record collector, looking to find that original pressing of âAppleâ we have all lusted after, this is everything you will ever need. Fans who know the work of Mother Love Bone will respect the effort put in; those who might only know of them from the soundtrack to (Cameron Crowe movie) Singles can enjoy everything at once. Either way, itâs the perfect chance to relive the back catalogue of one of the finest bands Seattle ever produced.
GLEN BUSHELL